🌟 My Experience Interviewing at LinkedIn 🌟
Recently, I've been getting a lot of messages from current
business students interested in applying for LinkedIn's summer internships this
coming recruiting season. I know firsthand how tough it can be to be on the
internship hunt, and I felt like I haven't been able to be as helpful as I
would like to be. To be a resource to all students out there looking into an
internship at LinkedIn, I thought I'd write an article that broke down the
entire process from applying, preparing, interviewing, and getting the offer! I
hope this helps anyone interested in working at this company :)
PS: I have bolded any "tips" I have in case you'd
like to skim through them!
1) Applying
LinkedIn is a company that does not do
on-campus recruiting, so you'll need to stay up to date via LinkedIn
Student Careers. I believe they start to add on intern positions
during November - February, so keep checking back occasionally. Since I am a
business major, I was looking for non-technical roles. I remember when I
initially started my search on the website, only technical roles were up. Every
once in a while, I would check back and new roles would be added. By late
January/early February, intern roles for Sales, Marketing, HR, and
Communications had been added.
I applied for the general "Marketing Intern"
position. (They place you on a specific team after you get your offer, keep
reading for more details.) I read the job description, responsibilities, and
qualifications needed for this role inside out. Then, I crafted my resume to
make sure it was specific for this position - including experience, skills, and
courses that were relevant.
Try to avoid using a generic resume, always tailor
your resume for the role you are applying to.
It will maximize your chances of getting your resume in the
hands of an actual recruiter. It becomes really easy to use the same resume for
every position you apply to, especially when you're applying to multiple
companies at the same time. As for my cover letter, I tried to be a little more
creative and went for an unconventional approach. I wrote it in a
conversational tone, really trying to let my personality shine through my
writing style and voice. (I'm not sure if this played a big part in getting my
offer, but hey, I did make it through the screening!)
2) Preparing for the interview
After sending in my resume/CV, I got an email about 3-4
weeks later with an invitation for a recruiter phone call. LI recruiters are
super friendly and conversational, so as cliche as it sounds - just
be yourself.
Culture is huge at LI - we as a company really value
personality and passion for our vision. Talk about your experiences, what you
learned, your strengths/weaknesses, and why LI appeals to you out of any other
company. Especially if you live in the Bay, you live in the heart where every
big company is. What makes LI special and why do you think you belong here?
Have this answer ready to go! Be sincere and that's the biggest piece of advice
I can give.
Do your research on LI's business lines, values, and
culture pillars - it'll help a lot during your
conversations with managers and recruiters.
3) Interviewing
After the first call, I got another phone call informing me
I had made it past the first round! This call consisted of a couple more questions
to assess some additional information about me. From there, the recruiter
walked me through the next steps regarding the next set of interviews - 2, back
to back interviews with current managers in marketing.
The recruiters do a really great job of giving you the
information that you will need to prepare for the next set of interviews. These
are mostly behavioral, but you might get a case question (I did). Nothing you
need to study for too much, but definitely know general business frameworks and
walk the interviewer through your thinking process from beginning to end. As
for behavioral questions, again:
Really know why you want to be at this company and
what drives you to work hard. Always have some questions to ask at the end.
It shows that you have done your research on the company and
that you really care!
4) Offer call
About 1 week after the 2 interviews, I got a call from my
recruiter with an offer! (Definitely a very exciting moment and I still
remember the exact details of mine). One of the questions I've been getting
this summer is "How did you get an internship in Product Marketing
specifically?" Product Marketing has become a very popular and intriguing
role in the tech industry recently. I work within LinkedIn Talent Solutions, on
the PMM (Product Marketing Manager) team for specific products in LTS.
Throughout your interviews, you will have the chance to talk
about what interests you, what you consider your strengths to be, and what you
would like to learn and work on. Based on your current skill set, areas you
want to improve, and what you are passionate about, you will be placed on a
team a month (or so) prior to your start date. You can be placed on a team
within any one of LinkedIn's business lines, on a different marketing team. It
really does depend on where there is a spot and where you fit in. But
regardless of where you end up, there are multiple opportunities to learn,
grow, and leave an impact. The program also does do a great job with giving you
a manager and mentor to help guide your professional growth over the 12 weeks.
It's been 9 weeks for me so far and I can confidently say
this internship has helped me refine and grow my skill set, and really help me
learn what I'm passionate about in the tech world (fortunate to say, it's Product
Marketing!) I highly recommend this company and intern program for any student
who wants to be a part of something bigger and really have a summer filled with
growth. I feel so fortunate to have been here and can't wait to spend the next
3 weeks here as well!
If you have any more questions, feel free to reach me via the comment section below. Hope this helped and good luck to everyone on their internship/job search this coming recruiting season!